The National WWII Museum in New Orleans is inaugurating an innovative interactive experience this Wednesday called ‘Voices From the Front’. This exhibit, through the power of artificial intelligence, offers visitors the unique opportunity to engage in virtual dialogues with lifelike images of WWII veterans, including personalities such as a decorated Medal of Honor recipient who passed away in 2022.
Besides the brave veterans of the battlefield, the feature also highlights the contributions of those on the home front, allowing guests to interact with individuals like a military nurse from the Philippines, a worker from an aircraft factory, and Margaret Kerry, who entertained troops through USO shows and later inspired Disney’s Tinker Bell.
The exhibit, which is the result of four years of development, showcases pre-recorded interviews with 18 individuals intricately involved with the war. Each one answered up to a thousand questions spanning both the war’s historical aspects and their personal stories. Hershel Woodrow “Woody” Wilson, a Medal of Honor winner who fought in Iwo Jima and passed away shortly after participating, is among them.
Guests at ‘Voices From the Front’ communicate with these historic figures via a console that projects a life-sized image of the selected person on a screen. Peter Crean, the museum’s VP of education and a retired Army colonel, describes the AI’s ability to decipher the visitor’s question and intelligently select the most relevant answer from the vast array of recorded responses.
Veterans’ presence has greatly enhanced the museum experience since its inception in 2000, but this practice has waned with their advancing years and the toll of the COVID-19 pandemic. Crean emphasizes that as these veterans pass away, the chance to engage with them is dwindling, making this technology ever more vital in preserving their legacies.
Although the AI system is not flawless—sometimes providing broader answers than expected—it is designed to improve with use, eventually providing more precise responses and reducing the response time to questions.
This technology debuts alongside the opening of the Malcolm S. Forbes Rare and Iconic Artifacts Gallery, named after a Forbes magazine scion who served in the European infantry. The gallery showcases artifacts like the jacket Forbes wore when wounded. Notably, some of the veterans who participated in the project will be present for the opening event.
FAQ Section
- What is the ‘Voices From the Front’ exhibit?
‘Voices From the Front’ is an interactive experience at the National WWII Museum that uses AI to let visitors engage in virtual conversations with WWII veterans and home front heroes.
- Why was this exhibit created?
The exhibit was created as a way to preserve the stories and memories of WWII veterans, whose numbers are rapidly diminishing.
- Can the AI system learn and improve over time?
Yes, the AI system is designed to learn from the questions posed to it and become more responsive and accurate in providing answers.
Conclusion
The ‘Voices From the Front’ interactive exhibit at the National WWII Museum offers a poignant and immersive experience, showcasing the power of artificial intelligence to bridge the gap between past and present generations. As veterans’ firsthand accounts become increasingly rare, this technology serves as a vital conduit for historical knowledge, ensuring the valor and sacrifices of the Greatest Generation remain accessible to all who wish to learn from them.